Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative

Columbia Forest Products


Date: 1 day ago
City: Kitchener, ON
Contract type: Full time
Columbia Forest Products, the leading manufacturer of decorative hardwood plywood and rotary cut veneers is looking for an experienced internal sales and customer service representative for their Canadian operations. This individual will work closely with the field sales team to service an existing base of distributors.

It is the ISR/CS’s role to monitor distributor purchases, ensure orders are accurate and the products meet customer needs. The ISR/CS is also responsible for preparing quotes, follow allocations per Field Sales Representative (FSR), per customer and per mill, monitor orders, prices and keep customers and mills aware of any changes. The ISR/CS works closely with customers, other ISRs, the FSR team as well as key contacts (purchasing, production and logistics) from each of our mills.

The ideal candidate is located in the grand Montreal area or in the Quebec area, in the province of Quebec in Canada. If located in Quebec, the candidate will be required to work from our St-Casimir office. If located in the Montreal are, the candidate will be working teleworking. The candidate will be required to periodically work from our mill in St-Casimir, QC and meet with the ISR/CS team for training on the north shore of Montreal. The ideal candidate will have 3 to 5 years inside sales or customer service experience for a manufacturing company. The candidate will need to be bilingual (French and English, spoken and written), resourceful, meticulous, autonomous, and efficient.

Essential Job Characteristics

The Inside Sales/Customer Service representative must first work as a team with the Field Sales Reps in prospecting potential customers, determining current customer needs, servicing the customers, and exceeding customer expectations.

While it is the Field Sales representative’s primary responsibility to personally “call on” existing and prospective customers it is the Inside Sales/Customer Service rep’s responsibility to refer data and information to the FSR.

The ISR must communicate by phone, video conferencing, text, social media, and email with customers. The ISR must be able to answer questions regarding panel specifications including hardwood grades, interior panel specifications for 3 ply, line by line, MPX, and combi-core constructions. In addition they must know how to quote pricing, explore alternative options to assist in securing sales, and complete the order entry process.

Primary Duties

  • Responds to appropriate sales inquiries from both distribution and OEM customers directly and from his/her Field Sales partners (25% of time)
  • Quotes price, availability, and anticipated lead times of product to the customer (50% of time)
  • Stays current on all pricing and traditional margin lists, price changes, and manufacturing changes.
  • Maintains a detailed call report and actively communicates with the organization (10% of time)
  • Pulls in resources from the plants or other sales team members to remedy customer needs
  • Follows up with claims via the customer and collaborates with the plants to resolving issues (10% of time)
  • Coordinates and provides customer mill visits and hospitality (5% of time)
  • Occasional travel to St-Casimir plant and ISR/CS training and meetings.

Columbia Forest Products is an employee-owned company that has a wide array of benefits. Our company stands out because of our commitment to our employees. In fact, we have a CFP Foundation dedicated to helping our employees, employees families and the local community.

Our Core Values we take pride in: Customer Service Above all Else, We Are Family, Share the Success and Absolute Integrity. If these are core values that you represent, please take the time to apply online for this rewarding career with Columbia Forest Products.

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